Hayes: Government will not seek third Croke Park pay deal

Junior Finance Minister Brian Hayes said today that Government will not look for more public sector pay cuts if a new Croke Park agreement can be reached.

Minister Hayes echoed the comments of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin, who said at the weekend that the Government will not seek any further concessions from public sector workers, if an agreement is reached.

Public-sector unions are being asked to agree to €1bn worth of cuts, as part of an extension to the Croke Park deal.

Minister Hayes said that Minister Howlin is in the driving seat at the talks, and he agrees with his sentiment.

"I mean, the idea that you could come back a second or a third or a fourth time in a circumstance where public sector workers have seen such a dramatic reduction in their take-home pay since 2008, that's not possible in the circumstance," he said.

"This will be the deal that will ultimately resolve this issue, and we hope that we can get the agreement of the unions."